# USPS in Iola said we had new laws



## USHOG (Dec 28, 2012)

I went to the Post Office to mail a few sticks. I was asked if there was tobacco in the box since it was a cigar box. I was honest and said yes these are cigars I am sending to a friend. The lady told me that there is a new law prohibiting the sending of tobacco by USPS. I think she is crazy but How do I find out what she is talking about. Is this a city, state, or federal law I do not know so I had to drive 30 minutes to college Station and Fed Ex the package which was 5 times more money to overnight. I know she is wrong because I get tobacco in the mail. Any help would be appreciated.


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## beercritic (Feb 13, 2011)

I dunno. I had an order from Cigar.com shipped to my PO Box. I had to return an item that was wrong. They sent me a UPS return label. I get cigars through the USPS all the time.


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## USHOG (Dec 28, 2012)

USPS brought me cigars this week. Maybe just individuals can not send tobacco. Maybe it is only in Iola I do not know but I would like to know. I am going tomorrow and getting more information on this new law she is talking about if I can not find it on the web


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## USHOG (Dec 28, 2012)

It is an individual that can not ship tobacco but it says on the USPS website that 
"Note: these rules do not apply to cigars, which continue to be mailable matter."

So I do not understand


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## jurgenph (Jun 29, 2011)

can't answer your question, but you can avoid theirs.
every time i ship a cigar box, i just put it inside one of their large shipping envelopes.

they just ask me the usual... batteries? liquid? ... and i just shake my head, and didn't need to lie 


J.


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## Hermit (Aug 5, 2008)

She was wrong, but next time, just say it's clothing.


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## Nature (Jul 30, 2012)

Yep, she was mistaken. This is from the USPS:



> Tobacco Restrictions
> 
> With few exceptions, cigarettes and smokeless tobacco shipments cannot be mailed. This applies to domestic shipments, as well as inbound and outbound international shipments. *Cigars are still mailable** domestically, as well as internationally, unless prohibited by the destination country.


*emphasis added

https://www.usps.com/ship/international-tobacco-restrictions.htm

At least for now....


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## mrnuke (Aug 24, 2013)

I usually pay for shipping online, and print a Priority Mail label. I schedule a pickup (free), and the mailman picks up the package from my home or mailbox the next day. I have never had an issue

The irony is that, although the policy is called "tobacco restrictions", the items containing the most tobacco, both percent-wise, and weight-wise, are the only unrestricted items.


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## OnePyroTec (Dec 11, 1997)

I ran into that ONCE at my post office. The only thing that is not supposed to be mailed is cigarettes. If you want to take the time, you can have the clerk show you on their screen where they found cigars can not be mailed. Hell, call the post master too, I did. It is loads of fun to see the look in their faces when they realize they are wrong.


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## thejrusso101 (Oct 14, 2013)

Hey, I got this right from the USPS websites rules and guild lines for what can be shipped. 

"With few exceptions, cigarettes and smokeless tobacco shipments cannot be mailed. This applies to domestic shipments, as well as inbound and outbound international shipments. Cigars are still mailable domestically, as well as internationally, unless prohibited by the destination country."

Hope this helps.


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## Tobias Lutz (Feb 18, 2013)

jurgenph said:


> they just ask me the usual... batteries? liquid? ... and i just shake my head, and didn't need to lie
> 
> J.


One time I was sending a bomb with some sticks and whiskey to Florida. The box "swished" and they asked about what it was. I said "special sauce" :biggrin:

Another time, before the teller could ask me any questions I said "I need to ship this fragile lithium battery suspended in perfume via priority because it is very perishable." They see me coming at my local Post Office :smoke:


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## mrnuke (Aug 24, 2013)

It is my belief that liberals are going to destroy the postal service with their nazi restrictions. First cigarettes, then batteries, then Xikar butane. What's next? You won't be able to mail anything but paper soon enough.


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## Tobias Lutz (Feb 18, 2013)

mrnuke said:


> It is my belief that liberals are going to destroy the postal service with their nazi restrictions.


It's my belief that such comments are too political in nature for Puff. Check the partisan rhetoric at the door- we all get along better when we stay away from politics and religion here.


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## mrnuke (Aug 24, 2013)

Tobias Lutz said:


> It's my belief that such comments are too political in nature for Puff. Check the partisan rhetoric at the door- we all get along better when we stay away from politics and religion here.


Yeah, you're right. Sorry about that. I still think it's true though.


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## USHOG (Dec 28, 2012)

people have way to much time to come up with all of these laws and all you have to do is lie to get by the law but that seems to be pointless


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## Tobias Lutz (Feb 18, 2013)

USHOG said:


> people have way to much time to come up with all of these laws and all you have to do is lie to get by the law but that seems to be pointless


I'm might be wrong in this, but I think some of the reasoning behind the ban on cigarettes being mailed is to prevent individuals from circumventing their state's tax structure regarding cig purchases by engaging in interstate dealings. In that sense it doesn't have that much to do with us individuals, but we're more victim of a restriction that's in place to prevent corporate entities from defunding a state's tax revenues.


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## OnePyroTec (Dec 11, 1997)

Tobias Lutz said:


> I'm might be wrong in this, but I think some of the reasoning behind the ban on cigarettes being mailed is to prevent individuals from circumventing their state's tax structure regarding cig purchases by engaging in interstate dealings. In that sense it doesn't have that much to do with us individuals, but we're more victim of a restriction that's in place to prevent corporate entities from defunding a state's tax revenues.


BEFORE I showed the postmaster where she had the laws/regulations on mailing tobacco wrong, she had mentioned that it was all illegal because that was their step in preventing sales to minors. AFTER the postmaster realized she was wrong, she came to the conclusion that now made better sense that pipe tobacco & cigars could be mailed since it was not likely minors would be buying those forms of tobacco anyway.

It has nothing to do with the taxes, ALL tobacco is subject to state imposed taxes & federal regulations.


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## Tobias Lutz (Feb 18, 2013)

OnePyroTec said:


> It has nothing to do with the taxes, ALL tobacco is subject to state imposed taxes & federal regulations.


I guess what I meant was, if state A imposes a 40% tax on tobacco products and state B imposes a 5% tax, than the prices of cigarettes in state B will be much lower. If you allow interstate sale of cigarettes via mail-order, than the companies in state B will sell twentyfold the tobacco of state A, and even though state A has a much higher tax rate on the products, they will garner much less revenue by sheer lack of volume. I've heard the argument about keeping cigs away from minors as well, but perhaps I'm overly cynical in not believing it. Anymore I tend to always look for a financial reasoning behind any type of legislation that regulates commerce.


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## mrnuke (Aug 24, 2013)

There is tax competition between states, the same way there is price competition between store. It's all part of the free market. You would most likely buy from the B&M that sells you the cigar for $10, instead of the one that sells the same cigar for $14. The same reasoning applies to any other merchandise, and does apply to interstate transactions.

If one buys from out of state to avoid excessive taxation, it is a failure of the state, not of the individual or human nature. No amount of legislation will fix this. It is just the honest little guy that gets caught in the crossfire.


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## Wicked_Rhube (Jul 29, 2012)

Tobias Lutz said:


> I guess what I meant was, if state A imposes a 40% tax on tobacco products and state B imposes a 5% tax, than the prices of cigarettes in state B will be much lower. If you allow interstate sale of cigarettes via mail-order, than the companies in state B will sell twentyfold the tobacco of state A, and even though state A has a much higher tax rate on the products, they will garner much less revenue by sheer lack of volume. I've heard the argument about keeping cigs away from minors as well, but perhaps I'm overly cynical in not believing it. Anymore I tend to always look for a financial reasoning behind any type of legislation that regulates commerce.


We are getting away from the spirit of the OP, but what the hell I'll play. I agree with this ^^^. They say it is to keep cigs and dip out of kids hands, but it is really a revenue issue to me. We are not talking about 4% to 10% sales tax either, but way over 100% tax rates involved with cigarettes in many states. I live in MA, a lot of cigarette smokers here go north to NH and buy their smokes by the carton at nearly 50% off. It has been this way as far back as I can remember. Every time MA raises their taxes NH raises theirs a little too, but keeps them low enough that people will still flood over the border to hit up the local Market-Basket grocery store for a 10 carton purchase every other month. NH also lacks sales tax and their alcohol tax is much less too so people can grab a new tv and a few bottles of JD/JW/JB while they are there. MA sin taxes make border towns in NH practical boom towns.

Now factor in mail order- If all those people could order cigarettes from a reservation store in Oklahoma then NH would be up s#!t's creek, so it makes sense that most states, both high and low taxers, would be against the legal mailing of cigarettes. As to the clerk thinking that Cigars can't be mailed, I assume they were just thinking of tobacco in general. I think in general most or at least close to most non-users just lump all tobacco together as a stinky smelly cancer producing enemy of god and goodness, so I can see how they would be confused on the policy.


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

They will wave "it's for the kids" around like a badge of honor all day long, but to think this kind of thing is EVER about ANYTHING BUT MONEY... well... is rather naive. 

Best thing to do is what was mentioned above. Print your labels and ship from home. Going to the post office, for any reason, should be avoided like herpes.

Has anyone ever had a good time at a post office?


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## mrnuke (Aug 24, 2013)

Herf N Turf said:


> Has anyone ever had a good time at a post office?


I had a nice conversation once with a guy shipping a crankshaft and other auto parts. The conversation took most of the 40 minutes of standing in line. Pretty fun.


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## Tritones (Jun 23, 2010)

Herf N Turf said:


> They will wave "it's for the kids" around like a badge of honor all day long, but to think this kind of thing is EVER about ANYTHING BUT MONEY... well... is rather naive.
> 
> Best thing to do is what was mentioned above. Print your labels and ship from home. Going to the post office, for any reason, should be avoided like herpes.
> 
> Has anyone ever had a good time at a post office?


I used to drive by a building that contained two shops - a post office and a gun shop. This was in 1984, so I called it the Little Shop of Going Postal.

So, no, I've never had fun at a post office, but I got a few smiled driving past one ...


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